> The thing is you don't have to participate, it's not hurting you, so what's the problem?

Why do people get upset when they see people falling for scams?

It's upsetting to some people to watch a gullible person get scammed. It's a drain on society. It rewards parasites and charlatans, and most people want fewer of those in society.

> I'd say that point just highlights some issues our society has with mismanaging energy. Let's switch to nuclear power and proof of stake blockchains.

Proof-of-stake is the real solution here, and I'm not really sure why you're blaming "society" for mismanaging that part. People could switch to proof-of-stake without any involvement from social institutions (government, nonprofit, media, etc.) just as they say they can adopt crypto without those institutions.

I think the part where it's a "scam" that people are falling for is entirely subjective. People who relate to the idea of digital ownership don't feel ripped off, and I think there are plenty of people involved in NFTs without grandiose expectations. But you're right anything that involved high stakes sums of money will disproportionately reward sharks and ruthlessness, this includes finance and politics as well. There is perhaps little room for idealists. With NFTs and Crypto and anything else, you can take what you like, it's a freedom that we have.

RE: society mismanaging energy. That was not a reference to POS, but that there's an aversion to nuclear energy which leaves less of carbon footprint.

> The thing is you don't have to participate, it's not hurting you, so what's the problem?

Because society is held together and characterized by a set of values. A society without shared values is no society. I want to promote a society where scarcity is not an artificial construct.

On the other hand, I don't care if people obsess over pokemon cards. So maybe it's fine.

No social phenomenon is independent of any other. Promoting this sort of thing accelerates the virtualization of the economy and the addition of artificial scarcity. It rewards bad actors. It saps the resources of people who fall for bubbles and pump-and-dumps. There are great aspects to it, notably artists making a living out of their art, but it's a symptom of broader issues and certainly not something innocent or unrelated to our own lives.

"It rewards bad actors." - But doesn't ANYTHING with financial incentives?

First, I absolutely agree that promoting NFTs as a vehicle of investment is insane irresponsible, but promoting NFTs as a potential avenue for "digital ownership" makes reasonable sense.